Integration, collaboration and education are hallmarks of the Banner CORE Center for Orthopedics, a co-management partnership linking The CORE Institute and Banner Health. Recently, the relationship between the two healthcare leaders was strengthened with the expansion of Banner CORE Center to Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

One of the state’s oldest and most well-regarded academic teaching hospitals, Banner Good Samaritan, has spent more than six decades teaching and training the doctors of tomorrow. The partnership with The CORE Institute enhances the hospital’s scope of orthopedic services, including expanded orthopedic residency and fellowship training programs and a more robust framework for orthopedic trauma care.

“We’re building upon Banner Good Samaritan’s reputation as a provider of superior medical education and Level 1 trauma care by creating a more comprehensive program capable of managing even the most complex orthopedic cases,” said David Jacofsky, MD, Chairman and CEO of The CORE Institute. “At Banner Good Samaritan, the Banner CORE Center for Orthopedics model will focus on complete musculoskeletal health with sub-specialty programs for everything from spine, hand, and foot and ankle care, to sports medicine, joint replacement and trauma.”

Expansion to Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center, which began with orthopedic trauma coverage in October followed by the launch of elective procedures in February, comes on the heels of the successful implementation of Banner CORE Center for Orthopedics at four other Banner Health facilities across metropolitan Phoenix: Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center in Sun City West, Banner Thunderbird Medical Center in Glendale, Banner Estrella Medical Center in West Phoenix, and Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa.

DeLyle Manwaring, Senior Vice President of Hospital Service Line Integration for The CORE Institute, highlights improved quality of care, better outcomes and enhanced patient experience as key benefits of the Banner CORE Center collaborative model. According to Manwaring, this manner of bringing together physicians and hospital leaders with a shared objective of improving patient care, outcomes and overall volume does not exist elsewhere in the Phoenix market.

“We’re providing cutting-edge care via an innovative model based on the highest level of collaboration,” he said. “Other healthcare organizations across the country are watching what we’re doing, and they have expressed interest in replicating the model being implemented at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center.”

Being at the forefront of innovation, both in practice and principle, isn’t new to either The CORE Institute or Banner Health. The organizations’ willingness to innovate, push boundaries, explore all options, restructure when and where necessary, and settle for nothing less than the absolute best has earned much deserved distinction in their respective fields. Their collaboration sets a new standard for orthopedic care in Arizona and beyond.

“Given the hospital’s scope of services and position as a teaching hospital, the co-management model for musculoskeletal health at Banner Good Samaritan requires some restructuring in both orthopedic care and education,” noted Jacofsky. “This will touch multiple aspects of the hospital, but the end result will solidify a reputation as a world-class teaching hospital.” Patients often turn to the very hospitals in which physicians train.

“Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center has a long-standing reputation of being the place where the sickest patients from across the region come for care,” commented Steve Narang, MD, CEO of Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center. “This isn’t just a coincidence.”

Indeed, Banner Good Samaritan’s position as a destination medical center is the well-deserved product of a commitment to medical excellence. Banner Good Samaritan invested more than $40 million last year alone in physician residency programs spanning 17 clinical specialties, including orthopedics. Jacofsky says the Banner CORE Center partnership will enhance orthopedic training by giving residents and orthopedic fellows greater access to highly trained specialty teams, including those dedicated to trauma care at the Good Samaritan facility.

“Orthopedic trauma cases at Banner Good Samaritan have tripled in just the first 90 days of this venture,” noted Jacofsky. “Numbers don’t lie. There’s a reason more people are coming to this hospital.”

Creating top-notch teaching programs attracts the best and brightest physicians, nurses, therapists, pharmacists and others who are committed to delivering excellent care, conducting medical research and advancing the field of medicine.

“Our partnership with The CORE Institute is an investment that will ultimately shape the entire service line and distinguish Banner Good Samaritan as a leader in orthopedics,” said Narang. “As such, we will continue to attract leading orthopedic specialists and, in turn, patients who want the best possible care.”

The inevitable result of integrating clinical care teams, enhancing medical education, investing in the tools and technologies to deliver leading-edge care, and centering the entire orthopedic service line on evidence-based protocols is an unmatched, highly-coordinated care experience.

While still in its infancy, the co-management model at Banner Good Samaritan has resulted in enhanced orthopedic education, expanded capabilities, an influx in physicians on staff and a new framework for educating patients.

Banner CORE Center for Orthopedics treats injuries and disorders affecting the bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons and cartilage. From total and partial joint replacements, to sports injuries, congenital conditions, arthritic and degenerative disorders, fractures and spine conditions, Banner CORE Center has the experience and expertise to treat virtually any orthopedic injury or ailment.